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Living Well on Your Budget
by Jill Barnes

 

Budgeting

Make your money behave; tell your money where to go or it will go where it pleases.   Stop charging and take charge of your money and debt.

 

  • Step 1: Know how much money you have coming in and in savings.

  • Step 2: Know how much money you spend.  (Keep track of spending.)

  • Step 3. Know how much money you must have to meet obligations and living expenses.

  • Step 4. Set up a budget, accounting for every dollar.  Must have a written plan.

  • Step 5. Live within and by your budget.  DO IT!

  •  

Use the envelop system (see below)

 

On-line free Money Map (Christian based)
Step-by-step journey to financial freedom with an on-line community

https://www.crownmoneymap.org/MoneyMap/Login/FrmLogin.aspx

What to Know About Budgeting:
Why Do I Need a Budget?
http://www.daveramsey.com/the_truth_about/budgeting_3457.html.cfm

http://quicken.intuit.com/personal-financearticles/budgetingbasics/budgeting-for-your-peace-of-mind.html

Why Live on a Budget?
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/Financial_Literacy/Jan07_budgeting_need_a1.asp?caret=1

Christian View on Budgeting

http://www.crown.org/pamphlets/pdfs/FamilyBudgeting.pdf

Secrets to Budgeting:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/FinanciaLiteracy/Jan07_budgeting_howto_a1.asp?caret=2a

Six things that will make a budget fail:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/Financial_Literacy/Jan07_budget_bombs_a1.asp?s=1&caret=2b

Envelop Budgeting System

http://www.crown.org/pamphlets/pdfs/ESI01.pdf

Create a Budget:
Tools & Resources:
Work sheets, calculators and money-saving tips to guide your financial planning
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/Financial_Literacy/Jan07_budgeting_tools_a1.asp?caret=6

Financial Statement
List your assets and your debts
http://www.crown.org/pamphlets/pdfs/FinancialStatement.pdf

Quickie Budget:
https://www.daveramsey.com/media/pdf/fpu_qbudget.pdf

Monthly Cash Flow Plan:
https://www.daveramsey.com/media/pdf/fpu_monthly_cash_flow_plan_forms.pdf
http://www.crown.org/pamphlets/pdfs/MonthlyIncomeandExpenses.pdf

Percentage of Income Guide for Family Budget
http://www.crown.org/Library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=263

Debt List
Keep track of your debits, payments and payoff dates
http://www.crown.org/pamphlets/pdfs/DebtList.pdf

Savings Account Allocations
Keep track of your savings – monthly budgeted long term items that are deposited into bank account until needed to pay out
http://www.crown.org/pamphlets/pdfs/SavingsAllocations.pdf

Irregulary Income Planning
https://www.daveramsey.com/media/pdf/irregular_income_planning.pdf

Account Tracking On-line -  Free Quicken
http://quicken.intuit.com/online-banking-finances.jsp

Budgeting Classes:

  • Find a ‘Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University’ class in your area.

    ask about available scholarships to cover the cost of the materials

    class is free (except cost of materials ~$120) and lasts approximately 10 weeks

    http://www.daveramsey.com

    or Dave Ramsey’s online Total Money Make Over website including interactive forms and tools for $89.00/year at:  https://www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com/index.cfm?

  • Find a Crown Ministries (Christian based) course.

https://www.crown.org/MyCrown/InMyArea.asp

  • Community schools

Round Rock ISD Community School
http://www.roundrockisd.org/home/index.asp?page=1809

Austin ISD Community School (at Murchison)
http://www.imagineaustin.org/

  • Libraries

Austin City Library Consumer Help
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/rg_downturn.htm

Free Forms:

  • Crown Ministries

http://www.crown.org/Library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=263

  • Dave Ramsey – ‘User Tools’ at bottom of page

http://www.daveramsey.com/

Calculators:
Budget, credit card, debt, mortgage, loan, savings, automobile, work-related
http://www.crown.org/Tools/Calculators/

 

https://www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com/index.cfm?event=displayMytmmoMyMoneyLobby&intContentId=4969&ictid=Useful_Tools

Mortgage

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/realestatecenter/?FuseAction=dspMortgageCalculator&strMode=dspMortgageCalculator&ictid=Useful_Tools

 

© Jill Barnes. 2009. All Rights Reserved.

 

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